US Forces to Increase to 125,000

On July 28, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson addressed the nation to announce a sweeping escalation of the U.S. commitment in Vietnam. American troop strength would rise from 75,000 to 125,000, marking a transition from limited advisory support to large-scale combat operations. To sustain this buildup, Johnson also announced that the monthly draft call would double, from 17,000 to 35,000 men. Though he refrained from declaring a formal state of war, Johnson’s decision reflected his determination to avoid a communist victory in South Vietnam, even as doubts about the conflict’s winnability persisted inside his administration.

The announcement was followed almost immediately by new deployments. On July 29, 1965, the first 4,000 paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division landed in Vietnam, reinforcing the growing American presence. Their arrival signaled that the U.S. was now committing major combat units, not just Marines guarding bases or advisors assisting the South Vietnamese Army. For many, this was the moment the Vietnam War transformed from a limited intervention into a full-scale American war. The escalation fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict, committing the United States to a path of deeper involvement that would shape the rest of the decade.